Thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Kelowna on Saturday for a march which made its way from Stuart Park to City Park, all in the name of pride.

From rainbow crosswalks to Mayor Sugarplum getting attention from across the country, many say Kelowna has transformed when it comes to pride.

But it wasn’t that long ago that the local pride parade was considered a controversial event.

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These days however, thousands of people, including politicians, are lining up to take part.

READ MORE: Gray proclaims Gay Pride Week in Kelowna

“Canada is an inclusive country and we’ve seen the lesbian, bi and trans-sexual communities in U.S. targeted in Orlando, I think it’s a positive message for local, elected leaders to be here,” said MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Dan Albas.

Parti Quebecois leadership hopeful, Martine Ouellet, has once again raised the idea of creating a Quebec contingent for international sporting events.

At a press conference in Montreal Saturday, Ouellet said that if she were elected to lead the province, she would set aside up to $10 million for the creation of teams to represent Quebec on the international stage.

The financing would allow athletes to bear the “Fleur-de-Lis” Flag and represent “la Belle Province” at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, or to sport a blue and white jersey at the World Hockey championships.

“We have extraordinary talent and I want to make it possible for these passionate athletes to shine on the world stage, showing their true colours, those of Quebec,” Ouellet said.

She added that too often Quebec athletes feel discriminated against, and they have to be free of that political climate.

It opened in 1947 and for 69 years it stood the test of time, but now that we know more about earthquakes, the John Hart power station is a disaster waiting to happen. So BC Hydro is going underground.

“The existing intake is about 600 metres downstream from where we currently are and the new intake is going to go underneath the dam and then drop about 80 metres into a power tunnel that will lead to the new power house,” Project Manager Brian Knoke said.

When then Premier John Hart was in power, World War II was raging and most government programs were put on hold.

But the Hart power station was still built, and Vancouver Island had its own power-generating source.

“At the time industry was just starting to get going,” BC Hydro Site Manager Amy Stevenson said.

Metal was so scarce at the time that most of the water pipes are constructed of wood soaked in creosote.

READ MORE: BC Hydro offering to buy 11 homes due to seismic threat

But the pipes will soon disappear as almost everything will move subterranean. Staff has just finished blasting a cavern that’s as long as a football field.

Having an entire generating station embedded in rocks solves a lot of the seismic issues. There are also plans to reinforce the earth and dam as well.

Because of the way the water comes in at a point much deeper in the reservoir there are reliability improvements.

“We use the same amount of water but with better technology and a good design we can make better use of what we have,” Stevenson said.

“We’ve got more efficiency, which gives us more energy and some more capacity too.”

They way they’ve re-engineered the dam spillway will keep fish happy as well. BC Hydro says the water pouring out of the reservoir and into an arm of the Campbell River will be more regular and distributed more evenly.

“Campbell river is the salmon capital of the world we say, so having reliability for fish so that flow keeps going into the river is key,” Stevenson said.

When the project is finished, BC Hydro expect to power about 80,000 homes.

The project is expected to take five years to finish and is estimated to cost one billion dollars.

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ATLANTA – A police officer in a small, central Georgia city has been shot and killed by a suspect who remains on the loose, authorities said Sunday.

Eastman Patrol Officer Tim Smith was fatally shot about 9:30 p.m. Saturday in a residential area of the city located about 60 miles southeast of Macon, Georgia Bureau of Investigations spokesman Scott Dutton said.

Smith, 31, was responding to a suspicious person call when he encountered Royheem Delshawn Deeds, exited his patrol car and was shot, Dutton said.

Dutton said Deeds, 24, then fled the scene. He is being sought by police.

Smith had been with the Eastman Police Department since 2011. He is survived by three children.

Smith’s death came just hours before two 15-year-old suspects were arrested after exchanging gunfire with officers in the suburban Atlanta city of Marietta.

Officer Scott Davis was shot in the leg early Sunday, Marietta police spokeswoman Kelah Wallace said. Davis, a 10-year veteran, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is recovering after surgery.

The shooting occurred outside the Gallery Apartments when three officers responded to a call about people breaking into cars, Wallace said.

The officers approached two suspects who were inside a vehicle, Wallace said. One of the suspects from the vehicle started shooting at the officers, striking one of them.

Three officers returned fire, hitting one of the suspects. Both suspects were eventually arrested, Wallace said. The wounded suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Davis and the two other officers will be placed on administrative leave as per policy standards.

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WASHINGTON — Donald Trump‘s campaign on Sunday went on a new tear against the media, blaming the “disgusting” press for a week of distractions at a time when Republicans have urged him — again — to focus on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump will get another chance to reset his campaign on Monday when he is expected to lay out his plan for defeating what running mate Mike Pence on Sunday called, “radical Islamic terrorism” with “real specifics” on how to make the United States safer.

But Trump set up that address with extensive new complaints about the latest disastrous week of coverage and reports of campaign chaos. Not to blame, Trump suggested, were his own remarks that gun rights supporters could “do something” if Hillary Clinton becomes president and appoints liberal judges, or his repeated insistence on the falsehood that President Barack “Obama founded ISIS.”

READ MORE: Feds preparing for potential effects of U.S. election

“If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly and didn’t put false meaning into the words I say, I would be beating Hillary by 20 percent,” he tweeted before noon. That tweet was followed by: “My rallies are not covered properly by the media. They never discuss the real message and never show crowd size or enthusiasm.” His anti-media tweet storm topped a half-dozen posts by midafternoon.

It is not “freedom of the press” when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016

It was the latest in a series of implicit acknowledgements by the Republican presidential nominee that he is not winning and in fact could be headed for a big loss to Clinton on Election Day in less than three months. Signs were popping up across the political landscape that Trump’s year-plus flirtation with presidential politics was in danger of not advancing much further.

Gaffe-by-gaffe, additional Republicans have come forward to say they’re not supporting his bid, with Carlos Gutierrez, secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, announcing his support for Clinton on Sunday. Meanwhile, GOP leaders in Washington and in the most competitive states have begun openly contemplating turning their backs on their party’s presidential nominee and putting their money and effort instead behind the party’s House and Senate candidates.

WATCH: Donald Trump calls for a restriction of press freedom in the US while he demands protesters be removed (March 4,2016)

Frustratingly for Republicans, Trump’s missteps have overshadowed difficult news for Clinton: The new release of 44 previously-unreleased email exchanges Clinton had while at the State Department. They became public on Tuesday and showed her interacting with lobbyists, political and Clinton Foundation donors and business interests while serving as secretary of state.

The New York Times on Sunday catalogued a culture of crisis inside the Trump campaign.

Crooked Hillary Clinton is being protected by the media. She is not a talented person or politician. The dishonest media refuses to expose!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016

That set off Trump on a 桑拿会所 rant Sunday morning. He called the report “fiction” and reiterated that he is not about to change what he sees as a winning campaign formula. “I am who I am,” he tweeted.

Given that, Trump’s allies set out Sunday to bat down bad publicity and warn people not to write Trump off.

READ MORE: Donald Trump struggles for support in Great Lakes region on road to 270

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., warned that the “campaign is not over” and described Trump as still being in transition from the bulldog who beat 16 rivals in the GOP primary to a general election candidate who communicates differently to a wider electorate what he wants to do differently than Clinton.

WATCH: Donald Trump lashes out at media over coverage on charitable donations

“He’s got to wrestle in his own heart, how does he communicate who he is, what he believes, the change he thinks he can bring to America, why what he’s doing is fulfilling the desires of the American people,” Sessions said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort criticized the news media for not focusing on what otherwise would have been a substantive week of dueling economic speeches from Trump and Clinton. He said Trump is continuing to raise millions of dollars while traveling to key battleground states — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida — and remains personally “very connected” to the operations of his campaign.

“You could have covered what he was saying, or you could try and take an aside and take the Clinton narrative and play it out. And you chose to do that instead,” Manafort said on CNN.

Pence said on “Fox News Sunday” that he remains proud to be Trump’s running mate and advised: “Stay tuned, it’s very early in this campaign. This coming Monday, you’re going to see a vision for confronting radical Islamic terrorism.”

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RIO DE JANEIRO – On the heels of winning the fourth Olympic medal of his career, Adam van Koeverden just stopped.

He stopped training, stopped working out casually and decided to get a job.

The Canadian kayak legend didn’t retire from racing after the 2012 Games in London, but he also wasn’t sure if he had the desire to continue.

“I stopped being physical,” said van Koeverden. “That was a bad choice.”

The Oakville, Ont., native finally got back into his boat after working for a Toronto marketing firm for a few months, but something wasn’t right.

And with some frustrating results starting to wear on him, he linked up with the Australian national team, a move that, along with some sage advice from a few confidants, gave him the boost he needed to push on to the Rio Olympics.

FULL COVERAGE: Rio 2016

“He knew he had to take some big steps to get back in the game,” said Canoe Kayak Canada sprint high performance director Scott Logan. “He took them, and here he is. He’s back.”

Van Koeverden will be on the water at Lagoa Stadium on Monday when competition in the 1,000-metre singles race – known as the K-1 1,000 – gets underway with the heats and semifinals. The final goes Tuesday.

The 34-year-old won a gold and bronze at the 2004 Games in Athens before picking up silvers in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

An eight-time medallist at the world championships, including golds in 2003 and 2007, van Koeverden is realistic about his chances of getting to the podium in Brazil, but he’s also quietly confident.

Rio 2016: What to watch in week 2 of the Olympics

“My goal on Monday is to make the final because that’s all I can do on Monday,” he said. “I’ll worry about Tuesday when I make the final. They don’t mail the medals out at the Olympics, they don’t decide beforehand who’s going to be the best. I hate the term ‘supposed to win.’ Nobody’s supposed to win. There’s no pre-destiny. You get on the water and you paddle as hard as you can because you want to win.

“Making the final is not a given to anybody.”

Monday’s heat will be van Koeverden’s first race at 1,000 metres since finishing third at last summer’s Pan Am Games.

Canadian star kayaker Adam van Koeverden claps accepting his bronze medal for the K1 1000m final at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Welland, Ont., in a July 13, 2015, file photo.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett, File

He said he took time off because his body was overworked in some areas and underworked in others, while also adding his iron levels were very low.

“I knew that under the right circumstances he could get back, but I think everyone had some doubts at one point,” Logan said of van Koeverden’s journey post-London.

“But you only have to know the guy a little bit to know that if anybody can do it, he can. Even during his worst days he was still one of our best athletes.

“This guy prides himself on being on podiums and he’s been there four times. It’s quite amazing.”

Gone are the days of van Koeverden constantly pushing his body to the limit in training, now instead preferring a more selective regimen.

“When I was 22, 23 years old I had a literal super power. I could recover from any kind of physical abuse,” he said. “I just recovered.

“I credit that little super power, for the time that I had it, with a lot of my success. It was probably the reason I was able to get as good as I did as fast as I did when I was young.”

Like most Olympians in the twilight of their careers, van Koeverden is coy about what the future holds after this week, but he does plan on racing at the Canadian nationals after the Games.

“I’ve been thinking about it non-stop,” he said. “I don’t have an answer yet.”

– With files from Canadian Press sports reporter Frederic Daigle

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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — The mother of one of the Chibok girls kidnapped more than two years ago by Nigeria’s Islamic extremists on Sunday saw the first proof her daughter is alive — a video of her begging Nigeria’s government to exchange detained militants for the girls’ freedom.

Chibok community leader Pogu Bitrus said to The Associated Press the video was being watched at the weekly rally of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign at Unity Fountain in Abuja, the capital.

Some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have been killed by Nigerian military air strikes, according to a new video from Boko Haram, which shows one kidnap victim pleading for authorities to bow to the extremists’ demands that they release detained militants in return for the girls.

It’s not clear how many schoolgirls have died among the 218 who remain missing.

READ MORE: Islamic State group announces new Boko Haram leader

The video posted Sunday on 桑拿会所 shows a young woman, covered in a hijab with just her face showing, who was one of the students abducted from a remote school in northeastern Nigeria in April 2014. She claims that some of her kidnapped classmates died in aerial bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force. She also said that 40 have been “married” to fighters.

The video shows a militant warning in the Hausa language that if President Muhammadu Buhari’s government battles Boko Haram with firepower, the girls won’t be seen again.

“Presently, some of the girls are crippled, some are terribly sick and some of them, as I had said, died during bombardment by the Nigerian military,” the fighter says, appearing before a group of more than 40 young women in hijabs, some holding babies.

“If our members in detention are not freed, let the government and parents of the Chibok girls know that they will never find these girls again,” he said.

The video, cited by the SITE Intelligence Group, was posted by Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian journalist known to have good contacts in Boko Haram. Salkida says he was given the video by associates of Abubakar Shekau, who is in a leadership battle with a lieutenant named by the Islamic State group as the new leader of what it calls its West Africa Province.

The mass abduction brought Boko Haram to the world’s attention and even got the participation of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama in the #Bring Back Our Girls social media campaign, promising her husband would do all in his power to help liberate them.

READ MORE: Boko Haram kills 18 at funeral in northeast Nigeria

The government came under increased pressure from parents and Bring Back Our Girls campaigners after the May escape of one young woman, a proof of life that they said should encourage the military and government to redouble rescue efforts. The escapee said some of the girls had died but scores remained in captivity under heavy guard.

Sunday’s video is another proof of life.

“The girl in the video spoke in the Chibok language and identified her mother by name. Her mother has now seen the video and identified her daughter,” Chibok leader Pogu Bitrus told the AP.

The young woman in the video, probably speaking under duress, begs for help.

“Oh you, my people and our parents, you just have to please come to our rescue: We are suffering here, the aircraft have come to bombard us and killed many of us. Some are wounded. Every day we are in pains and suffering, so are our babies … No one cares for us.

“Please go and beg the government of Nigeria to release the members of our abductors so that they too can free us to let us come home.”

The video goes on to show bodies from an alleged air raid, including that of a girl whose eyes flicker open briefly.

Nigeria’s Air Force has reported near-daily bombardments of Boko Haram camps and the military of increased ground assaults in which they have freed thousands of captives, though none of the Chibok girls.

Boko Haram has been forced out of most towns and has turned to assaulting remote villages and using suicide bombers to attack soft targets such as mosques and marketplaces.

More than 20,000 people have been killed in the 7-year-old Islamic uprising that has spread from Nigeria to neighboring countries and driven 2.2 million people from their homes.

Aid workers say there is a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in newly freed but still dangerous areas where half a million people are starving and babies dying daily. There has also been a resurgence of polio in areas that had been under Boko Haram’s control.

TICKFAW, La. – In high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters, emergency crews worked Sunday to rescue scores of south Louisiana residents from deadly flooding as the governor warned that it was “not over.”

From the air homes in southwest Louisiana looked more like little islands surrounded by flooded fields. Farmland was covered, streets descended into impassable pools of water, shopping centres were inundated with only roofs of cars peeking above the water.

From the ground it was just as catastrophic. Drivers tried to navigate treacherous roads where the water lapped at the side or covered the asphalt in a running stream. Abandoned cars were pushed to the side of the road, lawn furniture and children’s toys floating through the waters.

And in many places, the water was still rising.

WATCH: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards says about 7,000 people have been rescued from historic flooding in south Louisiana and officials say the flooding could get even worse.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that at least 7,000 people have been rescued so far. Edwards says the storm has “subsided in its intensity” but he called on people to refrain from going out to “sightsee” even as the weather gets better.

“This is a serious event. It is ongoing. It is not over,” said the governor, emphasizing that in some areas water is continuing to rise.

He said the fatalities have not risen from the three dead reported on Saturday. One person is unaccounted for in St. Helena Parish.

Mike Steele, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said there was an overnight spike in flood rescues in the eastern part of Baton Rouge. Two nursing homes were being evacuated.

Man saves several puppies during Louisiana flooding

Deadly floods hit Louisiana

Heavy rain leads to flooding and state of emergency in Louisiana

Louisiana under a state of emergency with severe flooding

Police were rescuing people from cars stranded on a miles-long stretch of Interstate 12, which was closed from Baton Rouge to Tangipahoa Parish.

One of those motorists was Alex Cobb of Baton Rouge, who has been stuck since around 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Reached by telephone Sunday, she said she was on her way to a bridal shower she was supposed to host Saturday when flooding closed off the highway.

She said she had food intended for the bridal shower and a produce truck about a 1/4 mile up the road shared its stock with drivers.

“They opened up their truck and started giving out fruits and vegetables to people,” she said.

Cobb said some of the people stranded were actually fleeing flooding in their homes when they got caught on the freeway. Nearby her were a pregnant woman and an 80-year-old woman.

“People are surprisingly upbeat. I don’t know how long that is going to last because it’s getting kind of hot,” she said. “We just want water.”

READ MORE: 2 dead, more than 1,000 rescued in Louisiana floods on Saturday

Steele said the flooding that started Friday has damaged more than 1,000 homes in East Baton Rouge Parish, more than 1,000 homes in Livingston Parish, and hundreds more in other areas, including St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes.

“It never slowed down last night,” Steele said Sunday morning. “For the last few hours, there has been just as much activity as at any point.”

Gov. Edwards declared a state of emergency Saturday, calling the floods “unprecedented” and “historic.” He and his family were even forced to leave the Governor’s Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.

In one dramatic rescue Saturday, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a car almost completely underwater, according to video by WAFB. The woman, who’s not initially visible on camera, yells from inside the car: “Oh my god, I’m drowning.”

WATCH: An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew rescued three people from a rooftop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Coast Guard is assisting local, state and federal agencies in conducting rescues and evacuations due to flooding in Baton Rouge.

One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumps into the brown water and pulls the woman to safety. She pleads with Phung to get her dog, but he can’t find it. After several seconds, Phung takes a deep breath, goes underwater and resurfaces — with the small dog. Both the woman and dog appeared OK.

As of Sunday morning, some 5,050 people were staying in parish and Red Cross shelters, said Department of Children & Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters. The governor said even more people were staying in private shelters like churches.

Walters said the Red Cross is also looking for volunteers.

In Baker, just north of Baton Rouge, residents were rescued by boats or waded through waist-deep, water to reach dry ground. Dozens of them awoke Saturday morning on cots at a makeshift Red Cross shelter only a few blocks from their flooded homes and cars.

Shanita Angrum, 32, said she called 911 on Friday morning when she realized flood waters had trapped her family in their home. A police officer carried her 6-year-old daughter, Khoie, on his back while she and her husband waded behind them for what “felt like forever.”

“Snakes were everywhere,” she said. “The whole time I was just praying for God to make sure me and my family were OK.”

Beginning Friday, 6 to 10 inches of rain fell on parts of Louisiana and several more inches of rain fell on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas got even more rain. In a 24-hour period, Baton Rouge had as much as 11 inches while one weather observer reported more than 17 inches in Livingston.

Forecasters expected a turn to the north Sunday by the system, warning portions of central and northern Louisiana could see heavy rain into next week.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for several counties in his state as it also battled the heavy rainfall.

WATCH: Bus driver praised for helping save three lives during flooding in China

As floodwaters swallowed Lyn Gibson’s two-story home in Louisiana’s Tangipahoa Parish, she hacked away on a hole near the roof, desperately trying to get to safety. She used a saw, a screwdriver and her feet, knocking her way through wood, vinyl and sheet rock and was eventually rescued by National Guard soldiers on a boat.

“I just kept picking and hitting and prying until I could get a hole big enough,” the slightly built, 115-pound woman said.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Goodbye, green. Hello again, blue. Hope you can stick around a while.

Synchronized swimmers were greeted by clear blue water in the competition pool Sunday at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center after officials worked through the night to replace murky green water that’s become a big embarrassment for Rio Games organizers.

Olympic officials said the reason the pool turned green in the first place was because someone mistakenly added more than 40 gallons of hydrogen peroxide, which allowed “organic compounds” to grow, the New York Times reports.

Replacing the water in time for the early-morning training and competition at 11 a.m. local time was a significant challenge – the pool holds nearly 1 million gallons.

It was expected to take 10 hours to drain and replace the pool water, Gustavo Nascimento, the director of venue management for the Olympics, told the Times.

Rio Games spokesperson Mario Andrada apologized for the mishap at a press conference on Saturday.

READ MORE: What to watch in week 2 of the Olympics

“Of course it’s an embarrassment,” he said. “We are hosting the Olympic Games and athletes are here so water is going to be an issue. We should have been better in fixing it quickly. We learned painful lessons the hard way.”

Divers were training as expected Sunday morning.

Organizers have insisted there are no health risks posed by the discolored water seen in the pool during an earlier water polo competition and in a different diving pool. Still, visibility underwater is a major issue in synchronized swimming, where competitors spend lots of time underwater and need to be able to see their teammates.

WATCH: Canada’s synchronized swim team look to grab medal in Rio

The synchronized swimming women’s duets event was completed on schedule. Canada’s Karine Thomas and Jacqueline Simoneau sit seventh after the free routine portion of the competition on Sunday at the Rio Olympics.

The technical routine will take place on Monday morning, with the final on Tuesday.

*Editor’s note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Jocelyn Simoneau was part of Canada’s synchronized swimming duet team. We regret the error.

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Note: This story was published before the budget was released. For the latest information, please read the stories linked to above.

The Liberal government is set to unveil its second federal budget on Wednesday.

The budget is expected to contain initiatives that would boost Canada’s “innovation economy,” with funds that could help some of the country’s young firms enter the next stages of their development.

Federal budget 2017: How are Canadians feeling about the economy?

02:56

Federal budget 2017: How are Canadians feeling about the economy?

01:49

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01:45

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00:45

Federal budget to be presented on March 22: Bill Morneau

01:34

Kevin O’Leary calls federal budget a ‘disaster’

But it also comes at a challenging time for Canada’s economy.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised a host of tax reforms down south that could erode Canada’s competitiveness.

That doesn’t give the federal government much freedom to raise taxes.

Analysts with RBC and Scotiabank have released budget previews that give Canadians some idea of what they can expect in Wednesday’s budget.

Here are seven things that may appear when the budget is released:

1) Deficits as far as the eye can see

This graph by RBC shows how much expectations for deficits have changed since the Liberal Party platform in the 2015 election campaign.

RBC Economics Research

During the 2015 election, the Liberal Party sold Canadians on a plan to run deficits of up to $10 billion per year, and reach a surplus in 2019.

But the Liberals revised their expectations in last year’s budget, when they projected a $29.4-billion deficit for the 2016/17 fiscal year, with a plan to bring the shortfall down to $14.3 billion in 2020/21, after their mandate ends.

WATCH: The Liberals promised their deficit spending would boost the GDP and create jobs. Has it? And how will ballooning deficits affect this budget? Vassy Kapelos reports.

RBC’s “Federal Budget Preview” envisions similar projections in Wednesday’s budget. Economists Laura Cooper and Craig Wright expect the deficit to hit $25.1 billion in the current fiscal year before it climbs to $27.8 billion in the next one.

By the end of its mandate, Cooper and Wright expect the Liberal government to post a $25.9 billion deficit, with a plan to reduce it to $14.6 billion in 2021/22.

2) The end of the Children’s Fitness and Arts Tax Credits

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Wednesday’s budget could spell the end for the Children’s Fitness and Arts Tax Credits, Scotiabank said in a Fiscal Pulse report.

The Children’s Fitness Tax Credit allowed taxpayers to claim fees for children enrolled in physically active programs, up to $500 in the 2016 tax year. They used to be able to claim $1,000.

The Children’s Arts Tax Credit, meanwhile, allowed taxpayers to claim fees for arts, cultural, recreational or developmental activities, up to $250 in the 2016 tax year. They used to be able to claim $500.

The Liberals proposed to phase these tax credits out in the 2016 budget. The Canada Revenue Agency website also says they will be phased out.

3) A worsening debt-to-GDP ratio

Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio will likely remain low, according to fiscal projections by the government.

File Photo

Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio is a point of pride for the Great White North — it’s among the lowest of all G7 countries.

That status is unlikely to be threatened by the budget. But the government’s revised deficit forecasts could add $130 billion to its debt load, RBC said.

The debt-to-GDP ratio will remain low, but Canada won’t look as good compared to other countries with AAA credit ratings, it added.

Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio was estimated at 31.1 per cent in 2015/2016. It’s projected to hit 31.8 per cent in the two subsequent fiscal years, according to long-term economic and fiscal projections released by the government last year.

RBC did not provide an updated forecast of what the debt-to-GDP ratio could be with the new budget.

4) The comeback of the fiscal cushion

The Liberals may bring back the fiscal cushion in this year’s federal budget.

Wikimedia Commons user Danpape

A fiscal cushion is a tool that allows a government to guard against “unforeseen costs.”

The Liberal government dropped the fiscal cushion in last year’s fall economic update, but it’s expected to come back in this one.

The move would push the deficit up by about $6 billion, compared to what was announced in the fall economic update.

5) Little room to raise taxes

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The election of U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Canada with very little room to raise taxes.

While Trump has yet to roll out his tax reforms, he has promised to slash personal income taxes to the point that U.S. income taxes would trail those in every Canadian province by an average of 13 per cent, RBC analyst Matthew Barasch noted last year.

Trump also wants to slash corporate income tax rates from 35 per cent to 15 per cent, erasing Canada’s advantage.

In other words, Canada can’t do much as far as hiking taxes, if it wants to remain competitive.

There has been speculation that Canada’s budget could raise taxes on capital gains, but that could be “hard to square with the government’s billing of the document as an innovation budget, given that some sectors use stock-based compensation to attract talent,” the RBC report noted.

6) Skills development

A production line worker assembles an automobile at a Chrysler plant in Windsor, Ont., in January 2011.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

The budget may include some initiatives designed to broaden workforce participation, according to Scotiabank.

That could mean the adoption of a “FutureSkills Lab,” which could help boost training so that workers could adjust to technological changes.

It could also mean the implementation of the “Global Skills Strategy,” which would establish a “two-week standard for processing visas and work permits for low-risk, high-skill talent for companies doing business in Canada.”

7) More claims that the budget will lift Canada’s GDP (even though it’s not clear that happened last time)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fields questions at a town hall meeting during a visit to the Cultural Centre in Fredericton on Jan. 17, 2017.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

It’s not easy for a government to boost its economy using fiscal policy.

That much is apparent from last year’s budget, which the feds said would grow GDP by about half a percentage point in 2016 and 2017.

There is “scant evidence that this occurred,” the RBC report said.

Canadians may be told to expect more economic growth this year, or see it spill into 2018, it added.

8) More details on Canada’s infrastructure bank

Minister of Finance Bill Morneau responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 7.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

In the fall economic update, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced the creation of a Canadian infrastructure bank that would help to fund construction projects across the nation.

The Liberals promised to kick $35 billion into the bank with the hope that they would attract $4 to $5 in private sector funding for every $1 of federal cash.

The Wednesday budget may provide more clarity on the infrastructure bank, Scotiabank said.

It may also offer more details on delays that have plagued projects announced as part of Phases 1 and 2 of the Liberals’ 12-year, $187-billion infrastructure program.

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One of Edmonton’s most popular summer festivals is underway in Old Strathcona. The Edmonton International Fringe Festival will bring Edmontonians 11 days of shows, food and fun.

This year’s festival theme is “That was Then, This is Fringe.”

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“We’re hoping to inspire audiences to take a chance and really experience all of the vibrancy the festival has to offer,” Fringe artistic director Murray Utas said when the theme was revealed earlier this summer.

READ MORE: By the numbers: a closer look at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival

The festival brings Edmontonians together with 1,600 live theatre performances in over 40 venues. The fringe runs from Aug. 11 to 21.

As always, Global Edmonton’s Todd James will bring you nightly reviews of a number of shows. This year, Todd is set to review upwards of 41 shows.

Todd will give each show a rating out of five. You can read what James had to say about the shows and watch his reviews below:

Epic Tragedy: 3/5

It’s date night in Ancient Athens in this send up of Greek mythology as Dede and Ed meet on a literal blind date at the struggling Cafe Hubris. A Greek chorus looks on and offers commentary as the fates and the oracle play matchmaker, but this is a couple with baggage, only the ancient Greeks could imagine in this hammy but fun production.

The Taxi Driver is Always Listening: 3/5

Sean Proudlove is a comedian who moonlights as a cab driver, or perhaps it’s the other way around? This multimedia production, including pre-taped vignettes shown onscreen along with illustrations of various types of passengers, reveals the secrets of the hack. Turns out fares aren’t invisible to this observant cabbie as he tells of one strange encounter after another. It feels light on actual content, with the hit and miss filmed pieces filling in the gaps but there are a few good laughs and Proudlove works hard with occasional help from ‘dispatch’.

Little Orange Man: 4/5

Ingrid Hansen is a one woman dynamo as Kit in this wacky, but highly original play about an outcast little girl who lives in her own fertile dream world. Kit acts out fairy tales as told to her by her grandfather, whom we meet in the form of an orange puppet. Hansen is a marvellous entertainer, employing a variety of props songs, puppets, fruits, vegetables, sandwiches and the audience to tell this manic and fun story.

Diamond Girls: 3/5

Anyone who has seen the 1992 film ‘ A League of their Own’, will already be familiar with this story of The All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Formed by Chicago Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley while the boys were overseas fighting Hitler, Diamond Girls focuses on some of the sixty players called up from Saskatchewan. Inspiration for the movie, Regina’s Mary Baker, and some twenty other players, managers and husbands are played well by Malia Becker, but some of the characters and the plot get lost in the lights.

With You: 4/5

Anyone who has dealt with the mental health issues of a loved one can relate to this story from Shawn Pallier, as he recounts his relationship with his mother before and after her suicide. Coming to grips with her death, Shawn looks back, as many do, with some degree of guilt. Was there something he could have done to prevent her suicide? With You gets to the heart of the difficulties a child has in dealing with a parent whose behaviour could be mystifying and frightening. Pallier tells this story with heart, humour and the understanding that only someone who has experienced a tragedy of this magnitude can have.

The Panto Girls: 4/5

The Panto Girls takes the audience into the dressing room of two veteran actors, brilliantly played by Andrew Cullum and Oliver Hume, as nightly they apply their makeup and costumes to become ‘The Ugly Sisters’ in a Christmas run of Cinderella. They play sisters, but as they learn backstage after cavorting in front of the audience in garish makeup and outlandish dresses, they have more in common than either could have imagined. Poignant and funny, the script is tight and intriguing and these skilled actors make these complicated performances look effortless.

Zeppelin Was a Cover Band: 4/5

Zeppelin Was a Cover Band makes a strong case that much of Led Zeppelins mighty catalogue contains covers of blues and folk songs often uncredited to the original writers. It’s not a shocking argument: it’s long been accepted that guitarist Jimmy Page mined material from traditional songs — but a good artist borrows; a great artist steals. Writer and performer Stefan Cedilot gives a passionate discourse and Zeppelin primer, starting with its predecessor The Yardbirds. Track-by-track comparisons of Zeppelin tracks against songs by Ledbelly, Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson only give further evidence of the bands power and mission to become the loudest, most aggressive band of all time, and the importance of constantly exposing traditional blues and folk songs to the next generation. As Cedilot air guitars and sings along, it’s impossible not to feel the Thunder of the Gods.

What Gives?: 4/5

Teatro La Quindicina revives the thirty-year-old musical from Stewart Lemoine. Set in a Manhattan Loft, two struggling songwriters get inspiration from the Canadian gals next door. Songs from Lloyd and Smart performed by this tough-to-beat cast (Jocely Ahlf, Rachel Bowron, Jason Hardwick, Andrew MacDonald -Smith) are infectious and fun. With a companion piece called ‘Stump the Panel,’ featuring a condo meeting hijacked by game show host Deems Willoghuby, it’s another Teatro production that shouldn’t be missed.

Papa Squat: 3/5

Paul Strickland’s one-man show is set in the trailer park town of Big Fib, and Strickland tells a whopper about Papa Squat: a soft-spoken musician and the owner of a store of sorts where he dispenses songs and forecasts the future thanks to a wonky kneecap. The real story is his love for a girl named Rue Merazit, and why he’s left her and the quirky characters of Big Fib behind. Strickland is a wonderful storyteller and musician and does not fail to entertain with this family-friendly story.

V.R. Dunne: 3/5

Howard Petrick, a performer from San Francisco, sets this spoken word piece in 1969, 35 years after the Minneapolis Truckers strike. Petrick portrays Vincent Raymond Dunne, one of the pivotal figures in the American labour movement as he tells his story leading up to the massive and violent strike that eventually lead to The Teamsters forming a powerful national union. It’s a story worth hearing, but Petrick’s dry delivery makes for a tough sell for most Fringe audiences.

Asking the Internet: The Yahoo Answers: 3/5

Travel the Internet of the 90s and wax poetic about dial up! Online forums are addressed through dance, answering actual Yahoo responses to questions such as, “How do you unbake a cake?” Or “Why won’t my dad let me own any Steve Urkel objects?” It’s an oddly intriguing concept performed well by the four female members of Occurdance over an operatic soundtrack and featuring an excerpt from the podcast, “My Brother, My, Brother and Me.”

Jesus Master Builder – A Divine Comedy: 3/5

His followers love the way of the Lord, but his customers are less than pleased. Sure, Jesus can turn water into wine, but his wiring and drywall skills leave much to be desired. Jebediah is getting pressure from his wife and the first ever condo association when the son of God, his twelve subcontractors and even Michael Hutz from ‘Hutz on Huts’ can’t get Jesus to finish the job. It’s a pun filled script that occasionally hits the nail on the head capably performed by this large cast.

Prepare for the Worst: 4/5

Guys in Disguise hit their high-heeled stride in this comedy set in the 1950s, when the threat of nuclear annihilation was on the minds of two housewives in the ‘burb of Willow Way. Jenny and Arlene are hosting a Nuclear Preparedness Women’s Committee meeting, but Arlene is distracted by a philandering husband and Jenny’s new bomb shelter. This script from Darrin Hagen and Trevor Schmidt is smart and funny, and performances from Schmidt and Paul Welch are altogether enjoyable.

Nighthawk Rules: 4/5

After a 10-year absence, this Sterling Award winner returns to the Fringe and it’s not to be missed. Berry and Dick are as close as friends can be, but Berry’s new girl has demands. Topping the list is the removal of Dick from their lives. But Dick won’t let go unless Berry can best him at an epic drinking game. Collin Doyle and James Hamilton’s script is certainly ‘dude’ relatable and the battle of the bottle and bong is gut-busting. But there’s a tenderness to the story that goes deeper than the bottom of a shot glass with hilarious performances from Chris W. Cook and Christopher Schulz with direction from Taylor Chadwick.

Get Lost: 5/5

British Fringe veteran and spoken word artist Jem Rolls non-stop delivery on stage mirrors his style of travel. The ever manic Rolls dives into exploring the world with such gusto and lack of forethought that anything can and does happen. Last year Jem gave an enlightening discourse on the oft overlooked scientist Leo Szilard in his brilliant ‘The Inventor of All Things,’ and this year he strings together his travel tales from the far flung corners far away from anything remotely tourist-friendly. As an ignorant world traveler who finds himself in one harrowing situation after another, Jem has learned to cope reciting his own mantra, ‘The Human Race, Don’t you Just Love It? Yes I do!’ You will too.

An Evening with The Heaven’s Gate Singers: 3/5

Two priests walk into a comedy club… it sounds like the set up to a bad joke, but it’s the premise of this three person comedy. Father Bob and Father Delgheti get the performing bug while singing songs together at the bedside of a dying nurse and hit the road with help from a booking agent, landing gigs in the most unlikely of places for two men of the cloth, including prisons and gay weddings.

The Flying Doctor: 3/5

Based on the 17th century play from French playwright Moliere, this absurd comedy is set in Edmonton in the 1920s. Lucy is betrothed to the aged but wealthy Mr. Ottercreek, but in love with Valentine. A valet steps in to pose as a doctor, giving Lucy and Valentine time to run away and be alone before she’s forced to marry. Rory Turner ignites the proceedings in a dual role and the rest of this cast keeps pace in this light hearted, if somewhat yellowed by age farce.

Drunk Girl: 4/5

Thea Fitz James who presented Naked Ladies at last years Fringe bellies up to the bar with Drunk Girl, a challenging piece about women and alcohol and its implications on young women who have embraced a culture of drinking. Fitz James takes us through a brief history of alcohol and its effect on feminism and its contribution to sexual assault. It’s eye-opening and entertaining as the actress and playwright engages the audience with drinking games and even sing-a-long’s, but there’s a serious undertone and hard questions asked.

Blindside: 4/5

Stephanie Morin-Robert was diagnosed with retinal blastoma at age two, but losing her eye to cancer was a blessing for this talented comedian and storyteller. At age seven, coping with bickering parents and the loss of her beloved cat, Stephanie attempts to at first hide her disability, then embrace it in this very funny bit of storytelling that features contemporary dance and a too close for some look at Stephanie’s glass eye. It’s quite literally an eye-popping experience.

The Ballad of Frank Allen: 5/5

Fringe veteran and favourite with past shows, Zachary Adams and Trampoline, Shane Adamzcak is Frank Allan, a janitor at a science lab accidentally shrunk to microscopic size and now living in the beard of Al, a lonely slacker with relationship problems. For the next year and a half, Frank will try and protect Al from himself, guiding him with the tweak of a nose hair as he stumbles through life unaware of Frank’s presence in his bristles. Brilliantly written by Adamzcak, the script riffs on beards, relationships and desire paths and features wildly funny performances including hilarious songs from Adamzcak and the bearded St. John Cowcher.

Bella Culpa: 4/5

“A Little Bit Off,” a duo from Portland, Oregon presents Bella Culpa, a slapstick comedy featuring two peculiar servants, who turn buckets, broom, a sponge named Stewart and other props into broad physical humour that had the crowd in stitches. There’s some audience participation as well in a very silly but irresistibly funny scenario with this award winning pair prat falling and clowning through a series of physically challenging gags.

The Air Loom: 4/5

This gripping and well produced drama explores schizophrenia in dual stories while the two person cast literally weaves a perplexing contraption on stage. It makes for an intriguing prop as the audience is addressed by 19th century doctor John Haslam and his patient James, considered to be the first documented case of schizophrenia. The doctors diagnosis is brutal, cold-hearted and unflinching. Fast forward to the present and a daughter struggles to live with her mother’s disease with similar attitudes from doctors and others. It’s a riveting probe into the disease and its misconceptions with part of the box office donated to the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta.

N.O.N.C.E.: 4/5

British slam poet Steve Larkin is a force to be reckoned with, with his rapid fire delivery and a story taken from his time as a poet in residence at a high security prison. In an experimental program to help rehabilitate prisoners through poetry, Steve finds himself teaching dangerous criminals, including pedophiles; men so hated by other inmates that they’re referred to as NONCE: Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise. Larkins spouts in prose and poem with intensely funny stories of his incarcerated students and his unsatisfied girlfriend and even takes a jab at Fringe critics and their reviews.

(I-m) Position: 5/5

It’s the first time at the Fringe for Luciterra, a Vancouver based, all-female dance company — and what a treat it is for Edmonton audiences. This beautifully performed production explores the connection, misconnection and disconnection of society in a sensual and dynamic work from nine talented performers, set to hypnotic electronic music. Thrilling and inspiring!

Legally Lemoine: Two Comedies in Search of Justice: 4/5

Two one act plays from Stewart Lemoine performed by the Novus actors, a troupe of lawyers with acting chops. Romantic foibles are explored in two very different eras. Lemoine directs a revival of his Widow’s Crimes set in a 1920s Balkan Spa and a new piece finds Lemoine sending up a speed dating event that gives the cast a chance to tear into some witty and wise Lemoine dialogue.

Feather Fall: 5/5

A highly original concept from Edmonton’s Campfire Tales, set during the War of 1812. Kendrick Hackett (Oliver De La Harpe) runs the Upper Canada Gazette with his new reporter Lucy (Morgan Galavan). Both are non-human celestials who live amongst humanity in a constant unseen war with demons. Lucy does the forbidden and falls in love with a young soldier exposing herself to a malevolent demon who delights in human suffering. The script from director Ricardo Espinoza is crisp and the drama unfolds with passionate performances and swordplay to boot in this otherworldly war story.

Basic Witch: 4/5

From Toronto comedy troupe Fomosapiens, Basic Witch is set in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts where they have a bit of a witch problem. A series of sketches from these Second City-trained comedians and actors lampoon the 17th century and 2016, with comedy bits ranging from witch hunts to the Vagina Monologues and Donald Trump with sketches that tap into fear and paranoia then and now.

The Seminar with Madge and Taffy: 3/5

If your comedic taste leans to wacky, take in this seminar for a Dream Dump device that promises to rid yourself of dreams that only cause unhappiness when they ultimately are unfulfilled. From the makers of Fringe hit Camel Camel, it’s at its best when this funny duo is trying to sell seminar attendees but gets lost when they open the portal to an otherworldly demon casino that threatens Madge and Taffy’s friendship. We need more Madge and Taffy and less of the underworld in this madcap symposium.

Bat Boy: The Musical: 5/5

Inspired by the famous image and headline on The Weekly World News this musical about a half bat half boy is a blast from the moment of capture with rollicking tunes and outrageous performances. The townsfolk of Hope Falls call for the death of Bat Boy after he’s discovered in a cave, taken in and taught to behave like a human boy. There are deep themes underneath the irreverent and funny script with high energy songs belted out by a talented cast and band in this quirky rock opera.

Everybody Says Sondheim: 2/5

Three Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts graduates pay tribute to the legendary Tony, Grammy and Oscar award winning composer, Stephen Sondheim. With songs from Sweeney Todd to Into the Woods,it’s an earnest but light on content production.

Vasily Djokavich: Russia’s Number 1 State Approved Comedian: 4/5

Played by Victoria comedian Morgan Cranny in a show written by Cranny and Mike Delamont, best known for the Fringe favourite God is a Scottish Drag. Vasily lumbers onto the stage under the watchful gaze of a portrait of Vladimir Putin, Russia’s democratically elected president for life on his first tour outside mother Russia and attempts to learn about Canadian and Edmonton culture while delivering jokes that won’t get him shot in the face in his homeland. This is a character that has legs and with any luck Cranny and Delamont will explore this Russian bear further.

Wolfman Crossing: 2/5

Set in the small northern Alberta town of Wolfman Crossing, a courier, mechanic, and cop discuss the mysterious disappearance of several hitchhikers. There may really be a wolf man according to the local legend that gave the town its name. An appearance by an L.A. reporter seems to prove the point but the town has secrets yet to be revealed. This would-be psychological thriller plods along with out getting to the point or the wolf man.

Call Me Kirk: 4/5

Californian Michael Schaldemose squeezes into a tight, Star Fleet Captain uniform and goes where many a fringe play has gone. One actor, multiple characters. But his Captain Kirk is the planet that the crew and guests on board the Enterprise for a United Federation of planets conference, orbit. You’ll marvel at Schaldemose’s weaving of angry alien races of lizards, Klingons and Kahn into this nod to the original series and The great Shatner himself. Hear Shatner sing his version of Bohemian Rhapsody, recite his “I am Canadian” rant and deftly captain the Enterprise as James Tiberius Kirk.

Radio Star: 3/5

It’s a 1940s radio drama with New York actress Tanya O’Debra in full period costume behind the microphone in a mock radio studio. O’Debra provides the voices of several characters and many of the sound effects during The Iron Lung Cigarettes Mystery show featuring the adventures of the hard boiled private dick, Nick McKittrick. The inventor of the snuggles blanket has been murdered and McKittrick is on the case with plenty of raunchy double entendres and one line zingers. Detective spoofs have been done to death, this one stands out thanks to its unique setting in a radio studio. It makes for a static presentation but O’Debra’s masterful voice work that includes advertisements for the shows sponsor helps makes up for a tired pun filled script.

Cowboy: A Cowboy Story: 5/5

I saw the debut of Cowboy five years ago, since then Accidental Humour Co. has taken its multimedia shows to a new place in productions such as Happy Whackin’ Jim McCrackin. William Banfield returns in the role of the prospector and the local lady of the night who has stolen the heart of the mysterious Cowboy. Cliff Kelly, channeling a steely eyed Clint Eastwood, now embracing an outlaw life, is a thorn for a conniving sheriff when his love for Lucy awakens his heroic tendencies. The rock solid cast and crew is on top of their game and they have to be to make this blend of multi screen visuals, featuring lush location footage and onstage choreography work together, and it works well while being blazingly funny.

Big Bayou Black: 4/5

A one-person play from Melissa Murray of Portland Oregon, she tells her story of growing up in the Louisiana Bayou on a plantation with her brothers and sisters and oft pregnant stepmom Debbie. An outcast thanks to an unfortunate hair incident at age seven, Melissa regales with her southern charm on tales that involve her pet rock Rupert, sibling mischief and old fashioned punishments involving switches and having ones mouth washed out with soap. Melissa’s deep southern accent is laid on thick and so are the stories of a childhood that left scars but encouraged kindness.

Lolita a Three Man Show: 5/5

For the First time at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, Minneapolis troupe Four Humors ( or Humours for a Canadian audience) presents Lolita a Three Man Show, based on the Nabakov novel and the Stanley Kubrick film as told by three idiots (their words not mine). It’s the story of forbidden love as Humbert, played in the Kubrick film by James Mason and here by Ryan Lear doing his best Mason impression, falls for the 12-year-old Lolita, played by Jason Ballweber squeezed into an oh-so-tight bikini. It’s a sight that once seen can’t be unseen. It’s laugh-out-loud funny as the casts non sequiturs and sudden realization of just what’s happening in Nabokov’s still-controversial story begins to sink into this very funny trio of actors. Inspired and altogether fun!

The Guitar Teacher, an Arctic Romance: 4/5

San Francisco storyteller Randy Rutherford is back with guitar in hand and a well told yarn to spin about his life in Anchorage, Alaska where he meets a bronzed guitar god at the Crazy Moose bar who becomes his guitar teacher and opens up a world of love and betrayal. Randy is a wonderful storyteller and musician, all the more impressive as he’s afflicted with profound hearing loss. It’s unnoticeable though as he tells of his life changing encounter with a six string master and his girlfriend, a wounded angel who takes Randy’s heart.

Working: 4/5

Described as a non-fiction musical, this production from Plain Jane Theatre honours the working man and woman with songs by Stephen Schwartz, Lin Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame), James Taylor and more. Based on the Studs Terkel bestseller; Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, the story is best described in the title as the talented six person cast with musical accompaniment tell their stories of toiling away at various jobs through lively and often emotional songs such as “Brother Trucker,” “Just a House Wife,” and “Cleaning Woman.” Directed by Kate Ryan, it’s a poignant, relatable and funny musical featuring some stand out vocal performances.

Seance: 4/5

A sheet of paper, a string and a paper clip are handed to audience members as a means to tap into each persons psychic energy. Soon after, the audience is spellbound by the telepathic feats of ‘The Greatest Medium Alive,’ Ava Fournier played by a brilliant Clare Mullen. With her ‘honourable assistant and host,’ played by Phil Zyp, this surprising story of two grifters who have the tables turned upon their two-bit con celebrates its 20th Fringe anniversary, filled with unnerving special effects and audience participation that includes awkward hand holding. Solid work from this veteran cast, in a well crafted production that has the power to ‘creep out’ its audience.

Nashville Hurricane: 5/5

At times Portland, Oregon musician, actor, writer, and street performer Chase Padgett has an otherworldly look about him, as he slips into the various characters that occupy the at-times tragic life of the world’s greatest guitar player you’ve never heard of, The Nashville Hurricane and his rise to infamy under the tutelage of a Svengali-like blues mentor. Padgett is brilliant again with staggering six string skill demonstrated in a tour de force acoustic performance of “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and this boy can tell a story too! If you liked his Fringe hit, 6 Guitars Nashville Hurricane is a must see.

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WASHINGTON – The Canadian government has begun a wide-ranging exercise to plan for the potential effects of the American election, including the possibility of a President Donald Trump threatening to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The government is mapping out a complex array of outcomes for various results including a Democratic presidency; a Republican presidency; and either a Congress where both parties split power, or one dominates.

The process involves the embassy in Washington, Canada’s dozen consulates in the U.S., numerous federal departments, and it is being centrally co-ordinated by the ministers on the cabinet committee for Canada-U.S. relations.

“If I tried to show you an organizational chart it would take up an entire wall,” Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, said during an interview in his office overlooking Capitol Hill.

“It’s a big enough job that there’s lots of work for everybody to do.”

There are two broad components to this quadrennial exercise in planning for the transfer in power of Canada’s next-door neighbour, and behemoth of a trading partner. The first is researching the issues and players.

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The second is outreach – building contacts with campaigns, congressional power-brokers, state governments, industry, and labour groups. Amid a surge of protectionist sentiment, the government is seeking allies.

In trips to Colorado, Massachusetts and California, MacNaughton is spreading the word about the nine million U.S. jobs he says rely on trade with Canada. He cites agriculture as an example, with that industry’s $25 billion a year in exports to Canada.

He’s also listing the implications of different election results for important files.

WATCH: Donald Trump acknowledges he may lose to Clinton

Some issues will be deeply affected – the ones where U.S. parties disagree. Climate change is an obvious example. A Trump win might end some joint climate projects; on the other hand, it could spell a new start for the Keystone XL pipeline which he favours. Other issues aren’t partisan. For instance, the election is less likely to affect pilot projects to reform border-crossing.

“We have to be well-prepared for any eventuality,” MacNaughton said.

“And we have to be realistic about what the opportunities are and what the problems are going to be.”

WATCH: Does Trump mean trouble for Alberta’s economy?

Looming over everything is the continental trade deal.

Both presidential candidates favour revising NAFTA. Only one, however, has explicitly threatened to rip it up if he doesn’t get what he wants: “A total renegotiation,” Trump said last week. “And if we don’t get a better deal, we will walk away.”

The government is considering the potential results of:

NAFTA being renegotiated. MacNaughton avoided being pinned down on Canada’s willingness to talk. No document is eternal, and improvements are always possible, he said, but added: “Is a renegotiation a renegotiation? Because if a renegotiation is a real renegotiation, (that) means it’s give and take on both sides.”NAFTA being cancelled. It’s unclear if the original 1987 Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement would snap back into place. MacNaughton said he’s attempted to get that question answered five times – and received five different answers.“Trust me – I’ve asked,” the ambassador said. “It is a complicated piece of machinery… If Mr. Trump wins I’m sure there will be more than one legal expert opining on that.”NAFTA being a non-issue. It wouldn’t be the first time NAFTA got discussed during an election, then ignored. That’s one reason the government is reluctant to make any drastic noises during the campaign.

“Let’s wait until after the election and see how much of the rhetoric is rhetoric and how much is serious,” MacNaughton said.

“In the meantime, we have to prepare for any eventuality and do our homework.”

A Toronto trade lawyer agreed that cancelling NAFTA would be confusing. He cited different ways it might end up in court: “This election and Brexit are keeping trade lawyers on our toes,” Mark Warner said.

NAFTA is now part of web of trade and tariff rules that would be difficult to disentangle, he said. Warner said the U.S. president could certainly withdraw from it, therefore ending its dispute-settlement panels.

But he said it’s unclear what would happen to ongoing cases – like the Keystone XL suit against the U.S. government.

Tariffs are another story. Warner said it would be up to Congress to reintroduce them, with no guarantee they’d pass. On top of that, he said, some product tariffs could not be restored because they were eliminated in other international agreements that followed NAFTA.

Finally, there’s that question that vexed MacNaughton: Could the original 1987 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement just be re-introduced? It’s not an issue most Americans are aware of, or care about, and it hasn’t been raised in this campaign by Trump or anyone else.

Canada lists the old agreement as suspended, not terminated. It’s unclear what the U.S. position is, Warner said. Ultimately, he said, the president would make the call – “and that could also easily be the subject of litigation.”

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